


flight to fight

by senator_princess_general



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: Dalton Big Bang 2020, Hate Crimes, I saw the prompt "if Jude never died" and I said "okay then Powers", M/M, also bruh this fic kinda sucks like please read it but don't make fun of me it's been a hot sec, didn't mean for this to get this long smfh, spider-man au baybeeee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25683445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/senator_princess_general/pseuds/senator_princess_general
Summary: Jude Whittaker was just your normal 15-year-old kid. Sure he was gay and sure he was questioning his gender and he crushed on one (okay, two) of his best friends but you know, just normal teen stuff! Except, he didn't think being able to climb walls and shoot webs from his wrists was part of that...
Relationships: (hinted) Micah Randall/Jude Whittaker, Blaine Anderson/Jude Whittaker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	flight to fight

It all happened so fast.

Jude had a late night. He holed himself up in a cafe near the school that was open late to work on some photo editing over some caffeine and something cheap to eat. He told his mom he would be out later and that she didn’t need to wait up for him because he was just going to sit in a coffee shop and work. She packed a ten dollar bill in Jude’s lunch that day to help out, and Jude noted to thank her tomorrow. The work was tiresome, but at least he could boast about it on his college resumes. 

After a couple cups of black coffee with free refills and a half-priced sandwich, Jude got up and left to walk to the bus stop at around 9:45 PM.

And got jumped at 9:50.

All of a sudden, he was pulled into the alley way to his left and hurled into the hard asphalt face-down, with a booted foot pressed hard upon his upper back. His head slammed against it hard enough to bleed, and in his shock, he couldn’t move.

He heard the boys who held him there speak, but Jude felt like he could barely hear them above the painful ringing in his ears (though, he did feel like he could make out a few slurs). Jude swallowed. _Oh, my God,_ he thought, _I’m going to die._

He flailed his arms and legs hoping to land something on one of them, at least to the boy who’s boot crushed down between his shoulder blades. It had to have a steel toe. This caught the attention of one of the other boys, who was going through Jude’s messenger bag while he was being held down. That second boy moved to hold down Jude’s arm, fingers leaving welts on Jude’s bony limb he thought may bruise. Jude winced, and made a corresponding noise. There was no use. He could barely help his mom carry twenty-pound bags of rice or flour to her car, let alone take three boys in a fight.

Which is why what came next came as such a sudden surprise for him.

All of his might was concentrated in his held arms, and with an intense groan, Jude suddenly pushed the boy back with only his forearm. He heard a quick mutter that sounded like, “Hey, what the fuck?” before the third boy kneeled down, grabbed Jude by the collar, and forced a hand over his mouth. His head was scarily close to Jude’s, and Jude could smell his breath. “One more sound like that and we _will_ kill you-”  
  
Before he could even finish his sentence, with widened eyes, Jude thrusted his head up into the boy’s nose, prompting an exclamation of pain. Jude promptly was lifted by one meaty arm and crushed against the nearby concrete wall, hitting the back of his head as he did so. It felt as if he was being punished for using it to crush the third boy’s nose. “You’re not going to get away from us that easily,” he threatened. Jude’s hands trembled as he glued them to the wall to stabilize himself. 

Jude did the only thing he thought he could at that moment, silly as it was. He hoisted his knee up with all the force he could muster, and rammed it into the bigger boy’s crotch, warranting him a millisecond of freedom as the boy let go. At that moment, time seemed to slow.

He tried to dart away but his hands stuck to the side of the building as if they were being held there by magnets. _Plan B. No time to think. You do something or you die, Jude._ He flipped himself around to face the wall and forced his hand up it, followed by the other. One hand at a time, he hoisted himself up the wall with barely any strain. _Adrenaline,_ he figured. There was no time to question how the hell he was doing it or how it somehow got easier the higher he climbed. In a fight or flight world, he flew, and, in this case, this was his only way to do it. 

By the time he reached a certain height, the bullies thought he fled and gave no thoughts into looking right above them. Jude glanced down at them as they began to panic. He watched as the largest one smashed Jude’s camera against the ground, which hurt Jude to see, but better the camera got mangled in a dark alleyway instead of him. 

Jude reached the top of the several-story building and helplessly collapsed, sobbing into his dirty hoodie sleeve and vomiting on the ground. _Did that really just happen?_ He asked himself over and over again. He reached his shaky hand into his jean’s pocket for his flip phone. He couldn’t call the cops; they wouldn’t help him, not without clear memory of their faces. And, he _definitely_ , couldn't call an ambulance. Him and his mom couldn't afford that. No, he needed to call someone, but not just anyone. It couldn’t be Erin because she would freak the hell out, it couldn’t be Shane because Jude didn’t want Blaine’s little brother to get too involved, and _of course_ it couldn’t be Blaine. He had been through enough. So, if he wasn’t calling the cops, that just left—

“ _Hello?”_ _  
__  
__“_ Hey… Hey, Micah?” Jude gazed at the city’s horizon and then back at the darkened street below him. His eyes blurred more and more which made the city appear to him as nothing more than soft, glowing orbs, but he knew where he was. “Could you come pick me up? Please? I- There was an incident.”

* * *

_I’m Jude Whittaker. And I’m just your normal kid._

_I got jumped while walking home from a late night at school, and I managed to get away fast enough to escape._

_But here’s the thing: I don’t know how to defend myself, and I haven’t formally exercised beyond PE class since I was a kid. Also,_ **_I climbed a concrete wall!_ **

_...so what happened?_

* * *

The drive to Jude’s house was tense. Jude was in barely any shape to walk in a straight line let alone pretend that he was okay during the drive. He couldn’t have made it down the building without his apparent ability to stick to it. Jude sustained multiple welts across his face and body with aches that would later yield to huge, deep bruises. Long, jagged skid marks spanned from his forearms to his back from being dragged. He had that bloody wound at the top of his forehead from being thrown against the ground, and another on the back of it from being hurled against the wall. Hastily, as soon as Micah saw the blood, he grabbed a towel from the backseat of his car for Jude to compress the wounds with. He didn’t know if that was what Jude needed but it was all he could think of doing.

Just as Jude wanted, Micah didn’t prod too much other than that. Of course, when he got out of the car, Micah was petrified and more panicked than Jude had ever seen him. It was a very odd sight, But, after rejecting Micah’s many vehement offers to get him to an Urgent Care or police station, he gave Jude the distance he needed and remained almost entirely quiet on the drive. Jude was grateful. Micah’s stoicism could sometimes come off as indifference or emotional unavailability to some people, but that’s what Jude needed. He was already worried enough about himself; he didn’t want another person fretting over him, too.

Micah insisted on buying him food, at least, and pulled over at a nearby In-N-Out to buy him some french fries and a cup of water to pick at during the drive home. Jude brought himself to eat a few to be polite, but couldn’t stomach more than that. He was dizzy, and felt like he was going to throw up again any second. He just wanted to close his eyes and curl up into bed and pretend that this didn’t happen to him. That _none of this_ happened to him. 

They finally pulled up to Jude’s little house, but as soon as Micah started getting out of the car, Jude stopped him.

“No. Please,” he started as he gently withdrew the towel from his bloody head, “It’s- I’m okay.”

Micah paused for a second, considering how he should next go about reacting in this situation.

“Jude, you have to tell someone else that this happened to you,” Micah said, still stoic. Jude bit his lip. “This isn’t okay. _You_ are not okay.”

“No, I-,” another pause. “Not yet. I can’t. I don’t even remember what they looked like.” He looked to Micah with tears in his eyes, “Please, don’t tell anybody, Micah. Please. Not even the others. I just… I just want to sleep.”

Micah held back a lot of his thoughts as a means to comfort Jude. He and his friends had been bullied, but _never_ to this extent. He didn’t know where to start, and he was always bad in dire situations. Micah opted to focus on the near future of the situation: just get Jude into the house and make sure he is taken care of. 

Micah reached his hand into Jude’s pocket and grabbed his keys, singling out Jude’s house key for him so that he didn’t have to struggle when he got to the front door. 

“Don’t come to school for the rest of the week,” Micah began after handing Jude his key, “Just… pretend you’re really sick or something. I’m sure your mom can write you a good enough note as a nurse even if it isn’t official or anything. I’ll come by after class when I can for the next few days and bring you your homework and check in.” 

Jude nodded and finally gathered enough strength to get out of the car. _Funny_ , he thought amid the clouds in his brain, _I feel a little stronger than earlier already._

“Thank you, Micah. Thank you so, so much.”

“Jude, of course. Seriously text or call me if you need _anything._ I mean it. I’ll be here for you, even if I need to cancel my plans. Just please, take care of yourself right now.”

Jude smiled at him. Micah was so kind. He was so very kind, and as he watched him drive away, he couldn’t help but feel his heart beat slightly quicken again after finally coming down a bit from the shock. _Shut up, thoughts! You’re pretty loud for someone who is probably concussed._

To his surprise, he made it to his door with ease and even was able to still sneak into his room without waking up his mom. _I can walk much better than earlier, too. I wonder if it’s the shock. Wait, am I in shock? Why is my mind racing so badly? Why are my thoughts so_ **_loud_ ** _?_

It was too late for Jude to risk sneaking out into his mom’s medicine cabinet for first aid, so he worked with what he got in his tiny bathroom. He was able to find some gauze, and cut up an old undershirt to wrap his head in after he cleaned it. He was, once again, startled that he even had the energy he did to wrap his head let alone think of cutting a shirt up for it. 

He plopped down on his bed, muscles aching, and curled up. He even grabbed onto his plushie that he felt embarrassed to still have. 

_What happened to me?_

* * *

“Did you get taller, shutterbug?” the redhead asked him as soon as she released him from her rib-crushing hug. Jude and Erin didn’t have any classes together in the morning, so lunch was the first time he saw her and the whole gang at once. 

“What?” Jude asked back. He didn’t feel too much taller, but I guess that’s because being around Erin was one of the only times he felt tall.

“Yeah I feel like you’re taller for some reason.” She furrowed her, and her eyes locked onto Blaine walking over from the cafeteria line. “Hey, Blaine! Hurry over here!”  
  
The shorter Anderson sped up a bit, trying to keep aware of bullies but keeping his eyes down. But, as soon as he was one table away, a foot protruded out from under it, tripping Blaine and sending his tray flying. Jude, oddly overtaken by a shockwave that crept through his veins, moved with the speed of a bullet, catching Blaine’s hand before he hit the ground and his tray (and, well, what he could catch on it). Both looked at each other, speechless at the deed. 

“Uhh…” Jude started, feeling a blush creep over his face. 

“Woahhhh!" Erin beamed, breaking up the air of awkwardness and pulling them both to the table. “Shutterbug! What _was_ that? That speed could give me a run for my money. Did you just spend your sick days becoming a badass?” She glanced up at them. “And you _are_ taller! Look! You’re like a full inch taller than Blaine now. I could have sworn you were shorter than him last week.”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, still startled. “Me, too.”

“Yes, well…” Jude stumbled over his words trying to think of how to frame this. “Probably just a mix of like, late puberty and you guys not seeing me for five days.” What a lie, but apparently it worked well enough for Erin to at least shrug it off as “just boy shit” and Blaine to accept despite his questions. 

The truth was, Jude had no idea what his body was doing over the past five days. He woke up the day after the incident expecting to feel like he was hit by a train, but in fact, he slept soundly and barely ached at all. He knew nothing about physical trauma save what he sometimes picked up from his mom, but from what he gathered: he shouldn’t have been feeling good only ten hours later with no painkillers. 

What’s odder: he looked into his mirror only to see the bloody welt on his forehead closed up, as if it scarred overnight. When he touched it, it didn’t sting and barely hurt, and he felt dried blood disintegrate onto his fingertips but nothing fresh. The same case occurred when he reached to feel the back of his head. Only a numbed pain and more dried blood. Nothing else. 

Also: he could have sworn his arms weren’t this defined last time he checked. _Not like I check often,_ he thought. 

And then, he started sticking.

Just like in the alley, he found things just sticking to him, from his shampoo bottle to the pen in his hand as he did his homework, and he couldn’t figure out how to unstick them on demand until a few days into his leave. He attempted to climb his wall again, and even managed to hang upside down by his feet on the ceiling. He thought he was crazy. Or dreaming. Or _something! This couldn’t be real._ All he could do is lay on his bed and internally scream, _Why is this happening? What is happening to me? This isn’t normal! Why can’t I be normal, GOD what is happening?_

And, after he accidentally shot his first webs from his wrist, he collapsed again. This time, in awe. 

_Oh my god, I don’t think that was just an average spider._

“That was like, super human,” Blaine said, snapping Jude back into reality in the lunchroom. 

“What, you getting a little crush on Jude because he reminds you of your comic books?” Erin teased. Blaine flung a wad of mashed potatoes at her but only received more laughs. Jude tried hiding a blush. He couldn’t help but fantasize for a second about saving Blaine from a big disaster and them falling in love. But, those situations were fictional for a reason. But wait, wasn’t what was happening to him _also_ only supposed to be fictional?

“How are you healing?” Blaine asked.

“ _What?”_ Jude panicked. He was pretty sure his left hand became stuck to his fork. _He knows,_ he thought. Blaine was taken aback.

“Uh, I just meant your head.” Blaine pointed with his own fork. “You said you cut it while you were at home.” 

“Oh,” he said, much calmer and consciously unsticking his hand. Jude picked at the bandage on his forehead. He knew no one except Micah knew what really happened, but even he didn’t want Micah to see how he was completely healed now without even a scar left behind. “Uh, yeah, it’s fine. Just bled a little more than I thought and… well my mom just kinda overreacted and wanted me to bandage up for a few more days.”

“What about your spider bite then?” Blaine followed up.

“I didn’t think you even remembered that,” Jude responded. “It’s fine. Not like it was poisonous or anything. It healed up.”  
  
Another lie. The spider bite on his ankle was his only injury that wasn’t quick-healing. It had been six days since he first got it, and it still hurt and oozed plasma and discharge. Jude unrolled his jeans to cover it up. He supposed they did fit better than they used to now.

The rest of lunch went just like normal. Micah and Shane strolled up a little late since Micah waited for Shane after his class in the other building, and Shane had to talk to his teacher about something after class. Micah didn’t pester Jude too much, as Jude kept him “updated” through texts. Shane’s attention span couldn’t latch onto a conversation topic for longer than a few seconds without getting bored. Blaine complained about how he accidentally left his phone at home, and Erin talked about how she was going to take her girlfriend to the botanical gardens for their two month anniversary. Micah joked that at month three they’ll move in together and Erin challenged him to a fight in the Stanton High School parking lot (“I don’t want to do that.” “Say why.” “Because you would win, _oh speedy one_.”). Jude found himself laughing for the first time in almost a week. He welcomed back this sense of normalcy despite his mind panicking the whole time thinking that one of them knew his secret. 

_How did super humans do it?_

* * *

Jude was so happy he got through the day, and no matter how much his subconscious told him otherwise, rationally, he didn’t think anyone noticed his more defined features under his hoodie and jeans. He managed to unstick himself whenever he could, too. 

Micah was kind enough to offer to drive him home. As was expected, even with his new “powers”, he couldn’t bring himself to walk to his bus stop. It would be extremely triggering, and Micah knew that. Jude began strolling to the school parking lot to meet him when he felt an abrupt sensation creep over his entire body. It was prickly, but not sharp, almost as if his veins coursed with television static. _That was new._

“We have to teach them a lesson,” Jude heard echo nearby. It came from behind him on the left. Whatever it was about, his body demanded to know. Jude crept over and hid behind another car. 

“That little one got away from us somehow, so now we have to go for the other guy. The little one who dresses like it's the 60s or some shit.”

Jude’s heart pounded like a drum roll, and it felt so loud that he could have sworn they heard it. Wait, _they_ were the ones that jumped him? _They_ were the monsters _._ And, not only that: Blaine was their next prey. He felt sick and light headed again as the blurry voices he heard in the alleyway that night became crystal clear. He bit down on his lower lip to silence himself.

“When should we strike?” one of them asked.

“No time like the present.”

 _Holy shit. This was happening. And not only was this happening, it was happening_ **_now_ ** _._ He bolted away, feeling as though he was going to pass out. He couldn't even text or call Blaine because he left his phone at home. Jude needed to get as far away from them as possible. 

_Wait, no,_ he began thinking. _I can’t do that right now. I can’t run from this. I can't leave Blaine out there by himself._

Micah pulled up to where Jude stopped with Shane already in tow to pick him up, but Jude just looked at them with pure fear in his eyes. 

“ _Ihavetogo,”_ he blurted out, and instantly darted away back towards the school. He couldn’t let this happen. Behind him, he could hear Micah calling out his name, but it was drowned out by his own thoughts. _I have to save Blaine._

* * *

It only took Jude five minutes to rush to the theater building and raid their costume closet. He didn’t know much about superheroes (nor did he really even want to be one) but knew he couldn’t stay in the clothes he was in by any means. By sheer luck, he found a white morph suit from a questionable production of Macbeth Stanton did a few years ago and topped it with a black hoodie, faux-leather fingerless gloves, and a pair of steampunk goggles. He looked ridiculous, but he didn’t look like him. That was most important. 

That weird static that coursed through his veins led him to where he needed to be. It only got stronger as he drew closer to the scene. He climbed up the side of the school building to oversee the city and allow the sensation to direct him like the hand of a compass. It led him to behind a closed restaurant that was barely off campus, where he saw Blaine being pushed against the back wall, luckily still relatively unscathed. 

The sensation ceased as he arrived with a blunt thud against the cheap roof.

“Did you hear something?” the tallest boy said, looking up from leaning against the dumpster.

“It’s a city, it could be anything,” said another.  
  
The bulkiest held Blaine up in the same way he did Jude, which sent him reeling. _Come on, Whittaker, now’s not the time to deal with your trauma. You have to prevent trauma from happening again._

The largest boy that held Blaine raised his hand up as if to strike him, and without thinking, Jude rolled up his suit and shot a web. Missed. _That’s what you get for not aiming, Jude!_ He started to try again, this time attempting to aim his shot as if his wrist were a camera. _Come on, come into focus you son of a bitch._ His first shot actually yielded itself to his advantage. It struck the side of the building next to Blaine’s head, missing the bully’s hand, but it got his attention.

“What the-” the large bully was instantly cut off with a thick web over his mouth. Jude’s mind raced as an epiphany struck him.

 _Wait, that’s it!_ Jude’s mind rang. _Think of this like photography. All you need is precision, focus, and the right timing to get a perfect shot._

Jude jumped down onto the pavement, striking the ground with grace. He never felt as powerful as he did in that moment. It was time for him to finally fight. 

With the aim of a master, he used his low position to his advantage, webbing the feet of the taller boy together enough for him to topple over. Once on the floor, Jude webbed the boy’s wrists to the ground, not allowing him to move. He stood up. _One down._

The other smaller one was easy enough. He swung at Jude from behind, but that static-y sensation struck him full force again telling him to dodge. With the speed of a cheetah, he ducked beneath the swung arm that only missed by a few inches. Jude came out the other side and instantly shot his webs with enough force to slam the boy against the same wall Blaine was still against in shock. Jude finished the job with even more webs, making sure the boy couldn’t budge. _Alright just one more._

His most precise work: Jude already took away the mouth that oppressed them, so why not get rid of some of the other senses, too. The other boy still struggled in peeling off the webs from his mouth, so he was a hard target to aim on. Jude ran closer, and managed to shoot a single web over the boy’s entire face, ears and all. Luckily, the webs were porous, so he could still breathe. With one more swoop of his arm, Jude glued him to the wall like the other. 

He did it. 

Jude stepped back to look at his work. _My best yet_ , he thought in his racing mind. In exhaustion and disbelief, he folded over onto his thighs. _I can’t believe I did this,_ he smiled under his white mask. _That was me! It was all me! I-_

A sudden compression against his back shocked him out of it. He darted straight up like and arrow in defense of a possible disturbance, but when he looked down, he just saw two arms cased in pastel, plaid sleeves. _Blaine._

Blaine hugged him with zeal, his hands clutching onto him for life. Jude felt his heart swell amid the adrenaline and turned around to face the now-shorter boy. 

“Thank you,” he cried. His tears wet the same spot on Jude’s back where to boot crushed him all those days ago. It felt like an eternity. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, just-” Jude took Blaine’s hands off and faced him like a stranger. He was one in that moment. “How could I repay you?” 

Jude remained silent. How could he say anything in that moment? Blaine would instantly recognize him. With all the courage Jude felt course through him, he nearly leaned over to kiss him, but stopped himself as he was about to. _No, not like this._

Jude glance suddenly dropped to the Sharpie in Blaine’s pocket. Without thinking, he grabbed it and moved to the wall. In messy, all caps scribbles, he wrote: **ORANGE COUNTY POLICE: ARREST THESE BIGOTS.** He followed it by their names. **A HATE CRIME WAS COMMITTED HERE.** He knew it probably wouldn't do anything with much proof, but maybe Blaine would report it now that the perpetrators were detained. And, just maybe, the webs would be a sign that he wasn't lying about a super human saving him.

He capped the marker and handed it back to Blaine. Blaine couldn’t see it, but Jude was all smiles under his mask. He was downright _giggly._ Blaine wiped tears from his eyes, and squinted at Jude. 

“Who _are_ you?” he asked. Jude paused, but with a surge of sudden inspiration, Jude took the marker back and moved towards the wall once again. He did this, right? So, it is only fair for him to sign his work.

He turned around to face Blaine again and tossed the marker back. Before Blaine could come any closer, Jude saluted him, and shot a stream of web at a building, whisking himself away in a blur of black and white. Blaine glanced back at the wall to see what the masked crusader added:

**クモ (KUMO)**

Blaine turned back in the direction he flew and saw no trace of the man who shouldn’t be able to do what he did. All that was behind him was the scorching sun, and a cloudless horizon of buildings. The man was a phantom, a mystery, and yet Blaine couldn’t help but feel a sense of warm familiarity around him. He had to know that stranger. 

_“Who are you, Kumo?”_

* * *

_Alight, so let’s do this one more time._

_I’m Jude Whittaker. And I was bitten by a radioactive spider._

_And, for a few hours, I have been the one and only Spider-Man. (Or, Kumo, I guess I named myself.)_

_I just saved my best friend and crush from the same bullies who nearly killed me, and felt more powerful than I ever had._

_And, maybe, just maybe, I’m just getting started._

* * *


End file.
